Chapter 304: The King of Cheapness
Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Hitesh_
When Wang Tong combined his new fighting style, the Art of Supreme Defense with the clone technique and created the ultimate formula for victory.
Wang Tong's new technique had devastated his opponent as she had failed to discern any weak link in his defense. His insane AMP had also made the clone technique even more overwhelming than that of Kaedeians. Birance conceded that she saw no hope of winning the fight.
Wang Tong had revealed his real power in this round of the match and unleashed a remarkably adaptive tactic. Even if Birance was able to gain the upper hand over Wang Tong in the beginning, her defeat was still inevitable.
All the major forums on the internet reviewed and commented on Wang Tong's technique. Many had proposed the idea that Wang Tong had invented his own fighting style. However, this thought was quickly turned down by the authority as they found something was off in the way Wang Tong's techniques were executed.
People who liked Wang Tong called him the ultimate weapon, but most people simply thought that he was cheap. The Kaedeian had tried to lure Wang Tong into a confrontation from the beginning. However, Wang Tong had turtled in his base with an impenetrable defense.
Most top-level fleet commanders favored aggression over defense, because an attack would always allow them to control overall flow of the battle. However, Wang Tong's unbeatable defense had broken that rule.
Wang Tong, therefore, very quickly was dubbed as the "King of Cheapness" due to his almost infuriating tactic that was able to make the strongest fleet think twice before attacking. However, Wang Tong doubled down on his cheapness with his clone technique, since no opponent would be able to avoid falling victim to his insane AMP.
A lot of fleet commanders who were watching the match had initially conceded that the only way to defeat Wang Tong was to take over his base as soon as possible using rush tactics. However, after seeing Wang Tong's incredible AMP, they doubted if the rush technique would even be useful. Once engaged in a battle, Wang Tong's enemy would only lose more territories, resources and time by throwing away wave after wave of canon fodder. Eventual, even the experts conceded that they don't have a viable solution to counter Wang Tong's cheap—or, perfect—technique.
Karl felt indignant for Wang Tong. To him, all strategies were good strategies as long as they were effective in doing one thing: eliminating opponents.
Not only did Karl find Wang Tong's tactic legit, he also enjoyed watching the splendid display of strength at the end of the battle. He was convinced that the people who called Wang Tong cheap were merely jealous of his power.
Karl was not alone in his indignation, as his sentiment was shared by most Earthlings. However, the Martians, despite their miserable fleet combat skills, laughed at Wang Tong for being a coward.
Most Ivantians' comments sounded bitter as well. They disagreed to give Wang Tong credit for inventing a new style, and lashed out at him on the forums, calling him despicable. They had gotten used to the earthling commanders who always acted on a whim and were never able to resist the temptation of being aggressive. Therefore, when they saw Wang Tong who possessed exceptional self-control, they found it hard to adjust their expectations, and thought Wang Tong was cheap instead of smart.
Some people had admired Wang Tong's ability to control the flow of the battle. They noticed that Wang Tong's defense was not merely waiting to be hailed upon. Instead, it was able to erode the enemy's confidence by constantly throwing ranches in their plans. They conceded that Wang Tong had the best micro control as well as the acutest battle awareness.
Unfortunately, this group of the rational audience remained in the minority.
Despite the sarcastic undertone, Wang Tong loved others' description as he thought "cheapness" fitted pretty well with the nature of his new technique. Any opportunity for a full-on aggression was precious, and therefore, he needed to make sure that he had a decisive advantage before the two forces engaged. In most circumstances, Wang Tong reasoned that his clone technique would allow him to get a drop on his opponent.
Being cheap also signified patience.
Anyone could wage a full-on assault at any time. However, even he strongest fleet would crumble in an instant if the timing was off.
All teenagers dreamed of being a hero: charging out of their rank and killing off all the enemies with a single swoop.
Wang Tong had learned at first hand that heroic fantasy was not only fictitious but also extremely dangerous. He conceded that although he needed bravery and mettle on the battlefield to overcome his enemy, he also required importance of patience to survive.
That being said, it was critical that the patience was not wasted. So, he also needed to actively seek opportunities to harass opponent to tip the scale of the battle, one hair at a time. In other words, he needed to be passive-aggressive.
Wang Tong's new technique hinged on his proficiency in the art of Iron Wall. Without a solid defense to last until every end of the battle, everything was merely empty talks.
Ayrlarng had made another miracle. Most people had thought that they would at best break into the final sixteens. However, by then, two out of three Earthlings on the final eight list were from Ayrlarng.
The other earthling was Flash from Capth.
The final eight list was fresh out of the oven. Soon, the new king of fleet command would rise among these eight young warriors.
Flash-Capth
Wang Tong-Ayrlarng
Karl-Ayrlarng
KKK-Luster
GoRush-Starry Sky
Paris-Royal Kaedeian
Niche-Royal Kaedeian
Lora Pasiu- Royal Kaedeian
Three Earthlings, two Ivantians, and three Kaedeians. This was the best result earthlings had ever achieved in the history of the tournament.
The field of the fleet combat seemed to be divided equally among three factions.
Thanks to its student's excellent performance, Ayrlanrg's fame had reached a new height. All the media around the globe were focused on the tournament and its related news. Therefore, more and more people started to notice Ayrlarng as the rising star among academies on earth.
Since Samantha was directly responsible for the rise of Ayrlarng, she also quickly took center stage and was praised for his ability to revitalize the fallen school.
She had doubts in some of her progressive methods, fearing that she might have bent the students too hard. However, it seemed like she was right after all, in bringing about radical changes to the school to break the student's bad habits.
Although Samantha's political and financial resources had more or less made her task easier, she had proven herself to the council as a capable leader. In addition to her ability, the fact that she was not "mind-opened." had made her popular among the council members. The council had been divided into two major factions: the mind-opened, and the ordinary humans. After undergoing the mind open operation, a human would get a large boost in many areas. Although the Confederation had set quotas to the number of ordinary human on the council in order to balance the power, the competition between the two factions was fierce. As a normal human, Samantha had quickly become the normal human faction's favorite.
Samantha's prestigious family background and her special connection with House of Ma had also given her an edge among the competitors who wanted a seat on the council. All the council members agreed that there shouldn't be any surprise in Samantha's appointment as the new addition to the council, and all they need to do was to wait for the perfect moment to make the announcement.
Wang Tong and Karl had undoubtedly become the most popular students of Ayrlarng. Many girls even started to send love letters to the latter.
Wang Tong got a message from Li Ruoer, who had been quiet for a while. She informed Wang Tong that as long as he was able to make it to the final, she would bring Ma Xiaoru with her to watch his performance.
Although it was still quite a way from meeting Ma Xiaoru in person, the message had lit up Wang Tong's hope.
Zhou Sisi didn't feel jealous of Wang Tong's feelings toward Ma Xiaoru. She genuinely hoped that the couple would eventually stay together. However, she also conceded that the drastic difference in the two's social status was undeniable.
Zhou Sisi and Cao Yi had already started to prepare the analysis on Wang Tong and Karl's opponents. They were going to the moon with the two commanders as their assistants.
Although Hu Yangxuan wanted to go the moon to support his friends, he eventually stood behind to continue training for the upcoming METAL tournament.
Karl's success had transformed him from a no account to a hero, and the change in him had greatly motivated other students.
Everyone around Karl agreed that he was the most devoted to his training, since other than training, Karl didn't have any other hobbies, expect for listening to loud dance music. He loved to listen to music, especially when he was training, as he felt that the music was able to intensify his awareness and make him more passionate about achieving his goal.
Wang Tong had one week before he had to pack everything and leave for the moon. He practiced the fleet combat regularly to maintain the battle awareness, and he also continued his cultivation in the crystal space.
Wang Tong had the sneaking suspicion that he was being watched ever since he had finished the match. He thought it was either an illusion or someone really powerful stalking him, and he suspected that it was most likely the latter.
Although he had suspected that he was being followed, Wang Tong acted normally every day and hoped that he was able to fool the stalker into believing that he was an easy and unsuspecting target.